‘The Marvels’ Domestic Box Office Debut Marks Record Low for the MCU

Disney’s The Marvels is coming in at the lower end of the lowest projections, with a worryingly soft haul in its opening weekend at the domestic box office. The 33rd overall film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe grossed an estimated $47 million in its first three days of release, which is by far the worst opening of all time for an MCU film, and perhaps the starkest indication yet that the once-invincible studio needs a course-correction.

The Marvels’ $47 million debut falls short of the $55 million that The Incredible Hulk grossed in its opening weekend 15 years ago, and the $57 million that the first Ant-Man debuted with in 2015. It is less than half of what this year’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania grossed in its opening weekend before concluding its theatrical run with an underwhelming $476 million global haul, and also less than a third of what its direct predecessor, Captain Marvel, made in its first weekend in 2019. That film, however, was a surprise hit with over $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office.

The Marvels was impacted by three factors: mixed reviews, the SAG-AFTRA strike, and a growing indifference towards superhero cinema. The movie currently sits at a borderline “fresh” 62% critics score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and could only muster a B CinemaScore from opening day audiences. Stars Brie Larson and Iman Vellani were only able to start promoting it a couple of days before release, but the writing was already on the wall by then. Produced on a reported budget north of $250 million, The Marvels is directed by Nia DaCosta, and dould likely conclude its global run as the worst-performing MCU film of all time.

‘Priscilla’ and ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Registered Strong Holds

Slipping to the second spot after two weekends at the top, Universal and Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy’s is continuing to defy expectations. What makes its box office performance all the more impressive is the fact that it is also delivering record numbers on the Peacock streaming service, where it debuted day-and-date. The horror video game adaptation grossed an estimated $9 million in its third weekend, taking its running domestic total to within touching distance of the $130 million mark. This is a much-needed win for Blumhouse, which has been reeling from the poor performance of the far more mainstream The Exorcist: Believer.

Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour concert film, which got an extension to its theatrical run after a stupendous performance across four weeks, took the third spot this weekend. The Eras Tour grossed an estimated $6 million, which takes its running domestic total to over $170 million. Globally, the record-breaking film is approaching the $250 million mark. The fourth spot this weekend went to director Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, which held remarkably well after expanding wide last week. The film is estimated to have made $4.8 million this weekend, marking just a 4% decline, although it admittedly added another 1,000 theaters. The biopic about the complex relationship between Elvis Presley and his wife Priscilla Presley has now made more than $12 million domestically, and is the widest release that Coppola has received in her notable career.

Claiming the fifth spot in its fourth weekend, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon added an estimated $4.6 million, which takes its running domestic total to just under the $60 million mark. Apple is essentially viewing the film’s reported $200 million budget as advertising spends for its streaming service, where the movie will drop at an undisclosed future date. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

The Marvels

Carol Danvers gets her powers entangled with those of Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau, forcing them to work together to save the universe.

Release Date November 10, 2023

Director Nia DaCosta

Cast Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton, Iman Vellani